That said, I LOVE DOGS. I was raised with 1-2 dogs at all times...not the 'sleep in the bed with me' kind of way, but the 'we create voices for you, love you, and still talk about you years after you pass away like you were a sibling' kind of way. I love everything about dogs - their loyalty, their need to be loved by you, and the way they look at you with unconditional love and yearning for that ruffle of the ears.
Last night, I was at the gym and happened to be working out by the door to the weight room. The owner of the gym brings his yellow lab with him sometimes (don't even get me started on yellow labs) and I found myself staring into the eyes of this beautiful dog as I downward dogged. The even weirder thing is that I felt JEALOUS that Jackson loves his owner so much that was happy just sitting on the other side of the glass, counting the moments until class was over and he came out to pet him. Without going into how I apparently crave unconditional love, I can save the $175 therapy bill and come to the conclusion that I need a dog.
Here's the problem: my boyfriend doesn't. Not only does he not NEEEEEED a dog like I do, but he doesn't want one. He claims he is allergic, but after a recent conversation in front of his mom who was confused by this statement, I started to realize that he really just doesn't want one and it's easier to say 'I'm allergic' than potentially disappoint me by saying 'I just don't want a dog'. Because he knows that I think people who don't love dogs are totally weird. So in his opinion, we will never get a dog because the the pro/con list of having 80-lb rambunctious shedding object in the house vs. continuing life as is seems to be a no-brainer.
But I don't get it. It's like that whole cold/hot temperature thing. Yeah, I get that 'I can put on more clothes and you can't get naked' but neither of us would be comfortable so why does one win out over the other? Okay, that may be a tough comparison. I got it.
I have a friend who is non-confrontational...not in the 'I'm soooo chill and hate conflict, pass me the bowl, live and let live' way. The 'when situations arise, I'm going to be awkward and put you on ice and go MIA for a few weeks and never address it' way. So someone like me, who is pretty black and white and likes to squash things quickly, non-emotionally, and while considering the other person's perspective but explaining my own before moving on, this is HELL. Moreso, it makes me so frustrated and think irrational thoughts like 'I don't need this person in my life anyway'. The reason is because I like to get my thoughts out, not have unsettling conflict, and get back to being friends. But if the other person hates conflict, they automatically win out. Why is that? Neither is better and both approaches are what make up a person, so why is the path of least resistance 'better'?
Why is not getting a dog (the path of least resistance) the obvious winner over getting a dog? Because my boyfriend would have to deal with an extra body in the house, some hair, some barking here and there? Well, I have to deal with not having an additional loving creature in their daily life despite wanting it every day....and in my opinion, we can take all the love we can get. I wish I could fast forward to 15 years from now when this yellow lab is such a part of our family that it's loss leaves more of a hole in our hearts than some family members.
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